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Guide To Massachusetts Turkey Farms

BOSTON (CBS) - Roasted or deep fried? Cornbread stuffing or grandma's recipe? Frozen or fresh from the farm? If the answers to all of these Thanksgiving questions are predictable in your family, how about changing it up this year?

Here's a turkey fact that might influence your decision: a twenty-pound frozen bird takes up to five days to defrost! One day for every four pounds, according to the folks at the Butterball Talk-Line.

Instead of buying a frozen turkey from your neighborhood grocery store, a short drive out to a local turkey farm will get you a fresh, locally-grown, free-range turkey for your dinner.

Most turkey farms in Massachusetts family-owned; they raise their turkeys without any preservatives or other chemicals. And according to the Mass. Department of Agricultural Resources, there's no need to baste fresh farm-raised turkeys; they have a natural layer of fat under the skin.

In Massachusetts, there are turkey farms near every major city, and it is NOT too late to order one for your Thanksgiving feast. Most of these places will allow you to place an order until Monday, and you can even ask them to roast it for you.

Western Mass.

• Diemand Egg Farm
126 Mormon Hollow Rd.
Wendell, MA 01379
978-544-3806

• Lukasik Game Farm
Pearl St.
South Hadley, MA 01075
413-534-5697

• Haleys Farm
1109 Park St.
Palmer, MA 01009
413-283-8369

Central Mass.

• Fantasy Acres Farm
186 West Main St.
Groton, MA 01472
978-448-2749

• Bob's Turkey Farm Inc.
181 Old Common Rd.
Lancaster, MA 01523
978-365-9271

• Jordan's Turkeys
51 Muschopauge Rd.
Rutland, MA 01543
508-886-2595

• Stillman's Farm at the Turkey Farm
561 Thresher Rd.
Hardwick, MA 01031
413-477-0345

Eastern Mass.

• Seven Acres Farm
4 Concord St.
North Reading, MA 01864
978-664-2660

• Raymond's Turkey Farm, Inc.
163 Hampstead St.
Methuen, MA 01844
978-686-4075

• Elm Turkey Farm
298 Arlington St.
Dracut, MA 01826
978-454-7970

Southeastern Mass.

• Bongis Turkey Roast
414 Kingston Way
Duxbury, MA 02332
781-585-2392

• Assack Turkey Farm
166 South Street
West Bridgewater, MA 02379
508-586-2902

• Belwing Turkey Farm
773 Taunton Avenue
Seekonk, MA 02771
508-336-9142

• Stone Pony Farm
171 Pine Hill Farm
Westport, MA 02790
508-636-9819

Yoojin Cho is a Boston University student who spent two semesters interning with the WBZ digital media team.

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